UX/UI Trends for Mobile Developers in 2023

As well as ensuring your mobile application works perfectly, your UX developer is responsible for making sure the interface, visual components and navigation all align with your user needs and preferences. It’s all about creating a great first impression and ensuring that the user journey is as smooth as possible. Ultimately, the user interface should be seamless and the experience easy and intuitive. 

As time passes, user expectations and technology evolve, which makes it vital for developers to stay up to date with the most recent trends and best practices. Last year, we saw a post-pandemic focus on well-being, accessibility and inclusivity, as well as a drive towards the incorporation of AI and machine learning. The design trends that take hold are driven by demand; users want to achieve their goals as quickly and easily as possible. This year, many more trends are anticipated, although the focus should always be on the user experience and the drive for continual improvement. 

6 Trends to Watch Out For in 2023

As we move ahead into 2023, innovative ideas and cutting-edge development will enhance both UX and UI, giving developers more opportunities to delight users and create outstanding experiences. If you’re developing an app this year, look out for the following six key trends:

1. Dark Theme

Dark theme involves using a low-light interface with dark colours. By using a dark theme, there is less strain on the user’s eyes due to the reduction in screen brightness. There is also the added benefit of improved battery life as fewer pixels are required. With dark theme, visual queues are highlighted through contrast and depth and the focus is on vital app content instead of the frame around it, leading to Increased readability. 

2. Gradients

While sometimes the old ways are the best, users can become tired of traditional styles. One design feature that developers have been experimenting with and is gaining significant momentum is gradients. Instead of flat colours, gradients enhance visual attractiveness and depth while still enabling brand colours to be used. In 2023, gradients will be used to display vibrant background colours. 

3. Micro Animations

Micro animations are certainly nothing new; just think of the like button you see on Facebook posts. They are a great way to hold user attention and allow the user to interact with an app. However, to really add value, the key is in making these micro animations effortless, unobtrusive and fully incorporated into the user experience. To use micro animations effectively, you don’t want to overload the user with them. They should be used as clever interactive components that will help the user towards their goals rather than distract them from it. 

4. 3D Visuals

Incorporating 3D visuals into the user interface requires a lot of specialised knowledge from your development consultant. However, the results can be quite stunning and enable products or services to be presented in an extremely engaging and dynamic way; this can work to improve the customer experience when done well. In the year ahead, more and more businesses will use 3D models to advertise their products and services and create a more real-life feel for their users. 

5. Voice Interfaces

Gone are the days when we had to use a screen or press a button to make digital products respond. Today, voice commands are commonly used for everything from routine searches to driving our cars and controlling our homes. In 2023, smart technologies will continue to alter our digital experiences and voice assistants will become increasingly popular. Used well, voice interactions can help users engage with your app in new ways and achieve their goals more easily. 

6. Augmented Reality 

AR was initially created for the gaming world but has since become a game changer for many industries, such as e-health, online banking, construction, retail and more. Instead of using video to showcase products, AR shows users what they’re looking at superimposed on the real-world environment. This immersive consumer experience should be top of mind, especially for e-commerce businesses in 2023. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that it doesn’t always need to be visible and shouldn’t be incorporated just for the sake of it. Contextual use of AR is much more powerful to add value and focus on supporting specific situations. 

What Mobile Users Will Expect in 2023

While mobile user experience and user interface trends continue to rapidly evolve, embracing every new trend isn’t the most important thing; it’s keeping up with user expectations that’s vital. Today’s mobile users are pretty demanding, so to ensure your users are satisfied in 2023, regardless of what new trends you incorporate, your app will need:

• Good usability – users simply aren’t tolerant of apps with bad usability, so it’s vital that your development team follow best practices. 
• Excellent support – users expect to be able to solve their problems without leaving your app, so support should be integrated into your product or service. 
• Great functionality – while exceptional aesthetics and fancy visual effects are great, functionality should always come first.  
• Improved personalisation – there is still a lot of potential for creating better-personalised experiences to help streamline the user experience.

Ultimately, as with previous years, mobile users will expect an incredible user experience in 2023. Of course, what constitutes an incredible user experience is a moving goal. It’s important that your development team are aware of new trends like micro animations and AR and are able to incorporate them seamlessly into your solutions. However, more important than that is creating a mobile app that offers great functionality, usability and support. By putting the user at the heart of every decision you make, you’re much more likely to know which trends to follow this year.